The Hottest NBA Trade Rumors provided daily

Trade winds howl: Amare Stoudemire copes with assortment of rumors

Reports have linked Suns forward Amare Stoudemire to seven teams, and the Heat is one of the contenders.

BY MICHAEL WALLACE

DALLAS — With the trade deadline a week away and speculation swirling
around him like a tornado, Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire has
experienced feelings from confusion to betrayal to anger to resignation.

On Friday, Stoudemire felt something new during the media session for Sunday’s All-Star Game.

Amused.As the highest-profile player on the trading block, Stoudemire has been linked to as many as seven teams, with the Miami a strong contender.

At one point Friday, Stoudemire was hit with seven consecutive questions about trade speculation, with each involving a different team.

And that’s when Stoudemire leaned in his chair, took a deep breath and smiled.

“I was telling one of my friends earlier that this is like being in high school again, trying to figure out what college you’re going to go to,” said Stoudemire, who skipped college and entered the NBA in 2002. “So, you just make sure you go to the right program. You have to have fun with it. Every top player has gotten traded before.”

And the Heat often has been in the mix. Stoudemire, a five-time All-Star, could be the centerpiece of a deal that would send Heat forward Michael Beasley and draft picks to the Suns. The Heat and Suns might eventually involve a third team. Heat president Pat Riley has looked into acquiring Stoudemire for more than a month.

Miami has stumbled into the All-Star break with a 26-27 record and has not ruled out adding a superstar to play alongside Dwyane Wade by Thursday’s trade deadline. But Riley’s plan has long been to create enough salary-cap space this summer to re-sign Wade and add at least one other elite free agent.